Does anyone know of, or know where i can get, the effect where you have a bill locked in between two pieces of plexi-glass, and one key fits? Its something to do with simply shifting the apparatus from one side to the other, and it trips the lock. Sorry if this is confusing. I'd like to get one.

You're looking for a Spirit Lock and some kind of holder for the money. You can either get one of the versions available from dealers (there's a British version with a plastic holder and a Japanese version with a wooden holder.)

A Spirit Lock works like you described: tip it one way, it opens with any key; tip it the other way, no key opens it. The advantage of using a holder is that the lock is on the other end, and you don't touch the lock and apparently have no control over it. (Heh heh heh.)

The locks supplied with the versions I mentioned are small and somewhat lightweight, and not too visible for a larger group.

Or you can do what I did: buy a Spirit Lock and then go to Tap Plastics and get the holder made to your specs. Take a look at "Three Key Monte" (available at your local dealer) to see a Spirit Lock made out of a Master padlock. It's well-made and very convincing.

Ed Fowler sells a nicely made one in the US, Repro magic in britain sells a really nicely made brass one ( www.repromagic.co.uk/ ) and it is called PentaLock (It is the one I currently use when working in comedy clubs).

It has some advantages over Key-rect but Key-rect also has some advantages over a gravity lock like this one. The cheif one being that you can fail with it if you are not careful and the only way to avoid failure is to hold the lock in the correct position yourself while the participant trys the key. With Key-rect, you do not have to hold the lock while the participant opens the lock.

This effect also sounds like the old "Treasury Transpo" - where a bill is secured between two pieces of plexiglass and locked together. The spectator signs the bill in the plexiglass holder, the magician signs a similar bill and keeps it. Performer gives the holder to the spectator who sees that his signed bill is gone and has been replaced by the magician's signed bill. The spectator's bill is found with the magician! It's a nice trick and uses the "Out to Lunch " principle. No trick lock, tho...